Those are the findings by neuroscience researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, who reported that LSD, psilocybin and mescaline not only don’t cause long-term mental health problems, but that in many cases the use of psychedelics is associated with a lower rate of mental health problems.

The study (here) pulled data from the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health, observing 130,152 randomly-selected respondents from the adult population of the US. 13.4% of that group (21,967 individuals) reported lifetime use of psychedelics. Comparing this data to standardized screening measures for mental health, the researchers found that neither lifetime psychedelic use nor use of LSD in the past year were independent risk factors for mental health problems—and that, in fact, psychedelic users had lower rates of mental health issues.

Teri S. Krebs and Pål-Ørjan Johansen, the Norwegian researchers, additionally noted that “psychedelic plants have been used for celebratory, religious or healing purposes for thousands of years” and that “psychedelics often elicit deeply personally and spiritually meaningful experiences and sustained beneficial effects… LSD and psilocybin are consistently ranked in expert assessments as causing less harm to both individual users and society than alcohol, tobacco, and most other common recreational drugs. Given that millions of doses of psychedelics have been consumed every year for over 40 years, well-documented case reports of long-term mental health problems following use of these substances are rare.”

The study also found absolutely no evidence that “flashbacks” afflict users of psychedelics, slaying another commonly-held superstition around psychedelic use.

The Norwegian study brings good news for the over 30 million Americans who have used psychedelics (compared to 100 million who have used marijuana). And while the media has been buzzing about Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s revelation that he “changed his mind on weed,” it may be time for psychedelics to get a similar PR rehabilitation.

While psychedelics still conjure images of 1960s-era bad trips like Art Linkletter’s daughter jumping out of a window on acid (an overinflated myth, says Snopes), they have undergone significant research and slow progress towards clinical acceptance in the past decades. Researchers still labor under the immensely negative Timothy Leary-era image of psychedelics, but are steadily chipping away at the cultural deadlock created by what many see as reckless abuse of psychedelics during the 1960s and 70s. Standing in stark contrast to the negatives of that time, however, are the immense clinical benefits that psychedelics are consistently being shown to offer.

Another recent study at the University of South Florida, for instance, found that psilocybin mushrooms erase conditioned fear response in mice, suggesting they could potentially be used to cure PTSD—and that psilocybin can even prompt growth of brain cells.

Multiple studies are currently being conducted (at New York University’s medical school and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center) into using psychedelics to alleviate fear in patients with late-stage terminal illness—easing the experience of death and allowing people to end their lives in states of acceptance instead of terror.

LSD and psilocybin even hold promise for treating cluster headaches, a condition so debilitating and painful that it often leads sufferers to consider suicide.

While marijuana enjoys its time in the spotlight, it may be time for its more potent—and potentially even more beneficial—siblings to join the party.

To svanella – ANYTHING can be abused or taken in the wrong context. Name me one western med that if taken improperly won’t have a bad effect. All of the myths or stories of bad trips come from not using these things properly. Period. They are not to be used just recreationally with people who are too young to know themselves or people with unbalanced brain chemistry unless taken with proper supervision in a proper setting. A kid taking something for the first time and getting it through less than quality ways in a setting that makes him feel unsafe and having dark images already in his head……….then something horrible happens. That does not make the psychedelic “bad”. If you look at statistics you would see that alcohol ruins many lives every day directly as well as indirectly (car crashes etc.). Yet, that is promoted and made to look sexy. LSD, psilocybe, etc., which when used properly allow people to think for themselves (sometimes for the first time) as well as heal old wounds. It would affect not only the profit of the pharmaceutical companies but would change the entire fabric of the system which our society claims is the ‘right’ way to be.

The article about mushrooms improving mental health needs to be taken down. I would like to meet the fool who posted it. Have you ever done them? Are you serious? They can be devastating to a mentally or emotionally unstable person. PLEASE BE RESPONSIBLE

You are dead wrong. You’re buying into a stupid myth and spreading it.

The facts are that most psychedelics are non-toxic and most (most likely all, really) of them are non-addictive. Most (if not all) of them have extraordinary health benefits.

Psychedelic use CURED my depression – it had been lifelong and debilitating (suicidal thoughts every hour of every day and no form of treatment helped, including meds) and then, after using 2 different psychedelics over the course of a month, *poof* depression gone. Forever.

Years later, I had a severe sleep apnea that caused damage to my memory center. I was told that I’d have problems remembering things forever. I heard online that mushrooms can “rewire” the brain. I tried using them over the course of a few months and found that my memory RETURNED TO NORMAL. In fact, my memory now is better than it was when I was 18.

I PERSONALLY know 3 different veterans who suffered with severe PTSD. Again, psychedelics CURED THEM. Not “treated”. CURED. They only used psychedelics (MDMA/mushrooms) a handful of times.

I’m in my 50s and have never dabbled much in drugs. But I did try mushrooms on an impulse last year, when they were offered by someone I know and trust.

How very pleasant the experience was. Mild but lovely hallucinations — for instance, looking at an empty computer screen and seeing constantly shifting pen-and-ink drawings on it. Later I just felt more calm and focused than I had in a long time. And that feeling persisted.

I’ve since started growing my own, and continue to take them occasionally, in small doses. For me it has been a very positive adventure.

Time indeed marches on and today’s challenges call for better tricks and tools to keep up the cosmic game called life.

For thousands of years some of the tribes incorporated the sacred mushroom and Ayahuasca into our spirit rituals, and the past 60 years led by the psychonaut cowboys like Terrance McKenna, have greatly expanded their minds with inner-dimensional experiences. Then along came the DMT pipe with a near perfect brain hormone replication of the juice secreted in the pineal gland. On board DMT allows us to seriously “kick it up” going from only a few thousand bytes / second bandwidths to billions of bytes/sec shifting to the Delta part of the brain. Life can overwhelm any of us at the lobotomized low bandwidth states, but at the higher bandwidths, all problems are solvable.

What the fearless psychonauts have yet to realize is that while its a mind bending trip to spin off the pineal gland, we were actually designed to drive that resource from pituitary gland.

“They use their pituitary and pineal (DMT) glands and we do not.” The DNA designers built it all in; on-board, but did not leave the owner’s manual. Our golden brain glands are in a state of atrophy but they can be quickly rejuvenated to “kick it up”.

I don’t know about anyone else but I’ve had nothing but positive experiences from Shrooms. Everything was like a Vincent Van Gogh painting. I would look at trees and they would blossom. If anything, I felt comfortable in my body. I sat for an hour in a lounge chair and just contemplated life. Everything just felt “okay”. I wasn’t stressing about the past or worrying about the present/future. I took deep breaths and just saw everything for what it was. It was all just so simple. Like every question I had in my head had an answer. I’ve only done it twice in my life so far and am absolutely in love with my perception on everything on them.
I have also heard people have bad experiences, I haven’t… I guess I haven’t done as much as they did to experience any poor effects.

No lie, I felt like I wanted to jump in a loin cloth and dance around a fire.
All in moderation, I guess.

well all medicines can have there side effects but the ones u guys support have killed some off my friends either suicide or drowned i lost alot of people 2 this stuff and here your going 2 tell me it’s great well u guys sound very stupid and for i am a artist that don’t need that crap to make it my music and art is successful without that crap only people that don’t have a creative or postive lifedo this useless shit.

Chris dont feel sorry for me. I am very open minded actually. I gave he crap the benefit of the doubt, tried it and seen NOTHING spcial about it. I thought it was a dumb thing for people to do to their bodies. But go ahead and feel free to ruin your lives, cut yourselves off from your families etc, because if it hasnt happened yet, it will.

all of these drugs are crazy. I can not understand why people would do this to themselves. I personally like to have full control over all of my actions. under the influence of this stuff you can not possibly tell me that you can account for our actions. can you be on this and raise a child? if so that is scary. enlightens your mind huh? to what? you need a drug to enlighten you? really? Do you know how stupid that sounds? I have heard people say they feel they are more creative on this. bullshit! you need this to be more creative? how pathetic. I feel sorry for all of you that need a “drug” like this that alters your mind like it does to make you feel more creative, enlightened, free, happy or whatever else the hell it makes you feel. so sad that you cant feel this on your own.

First off, if you did any research at all, you would know that the amounts used to get these benefits don’t even come close to altering your mind the way doing a handful of mushrooms usually do to people. So, closed mindedness on that point. Read………………..stop putting something down you DON’T understand. Read something besides the lines going across the bottom of the faux news broadcast.

Heres the thing DOGRESCUE. ” personally like to have full control over all of my actions. under the influence of this stuff you can not possibly tell me that you can account for our actions ” Um, Yes I can. Psychedelics do not impair judgment like say alcohol you are fully aware of what you are doing, can recall 100% of what you do the next day, decision making is easy. I know many parents that trip and still look after there children better then most. Saying these chemicals are not enlightening is just being ignorant untill you actually try then, They let you talk to your soul your very essence, They have taken me out of some very dark places in my life and let me be free and happy for years after even dosing. I am very thankful for there existence on this planet.

I hope your comment is just to insite anger and is not actually legit.

Dog Rescue, you clam a “drug” couldn’t possibly ave any positive effect on a man? Well consider this, “The endocrine system is made of eight major glands, which are groups of cells that produce and secrete chemicals. A gland selects and removes materials from the blood, processes them, and secretes the finished chemical product for use somewhere in the body. Almost every organ and cell in the body is affected by the endocrine system. “http://www.livescience.com/26496-endocrine-system.html So get a grip on reality buddy, everything we feel and act like is based on a elctro-chemical system! These substances being researched have been around for thousands of years and produce some of the deepest and most profound experiences known to human kind. Regardless of what your uninformed ass thinks! Unlearn what you have been falsely taught by our oppressive government http://www.erowid.com And Mr Rick Hitchings, that is a very weak argument, the doses used to illicit positive responses varies. Timothy Leary and others took part in the first ever triple blind controlled study back in the early 1960’s via Harvard University. The Marsh Chapel Experiment. They were the first to publicly document positive spiritual experiences akin to what mystics have reported for thousands of years. . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Psilocybin_Project …. Also for proof these plants and drugs are used as a spiritual sacrament also study “The Native American Peyote Church” who is the only church legally allowed to use Peyote in America. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_Church Smarten up brother!

Jesse, I love how you people back up how these drugs are so wonderful and how you try to put all of these articles down that provide proof that they are good for you. You defend these drugs like they are the miracle drugs of the century that have been discovered. I bet you try to push them on people too that dont do them? this site has a nice section for you on your psychedelics and effects they have on people and mood disorders etc. and how they can make them actually worse. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64178/ . it also has sections on everything from caffine to nicotine. so go ahead and post all your crap backing up your information you want suggesting they are “good” for you. you will not ever change my mind about it. As I said been there done them before. and I am ashamed to say I have

you’ve obviously never done psychedelics cause then you wouldn’t be here saying how they have no positive effect on a person, you’re an idiot and just as easily as you can find an article bashing psychedelics i could find 100 supporting their positive effects. obviously you didn’t even read the article you posted cause this is quoted right from it “although a review of the research suggests that there is no such entity. A few people who use hallucinogens experience chronic reactions, involving prolonged psychotic reactions, depression, exacerbations of preexisting mental disorders, and flashbacks” a FEW, FEW as in barely any experience any of those negative side effects no ones trying to change your mind just trying to get you to realize your a sheep who’s wrong and should stop listening to everything you read on a .gov website cause most of its BS

I’ve read in the past that they can be beneficial. I’ve always wanted to try them in a traditional Indian ceremony. In my nearly 6 decades, I’ve only taken ‘shrooms………maybe a total of 6 or 7 times. LSD……around the 10 to 15 times. For me, personally……..cannabis has always been my preferred ‘escape’. The mushrooms were more pleasant than the acid, but as with LSD……I found it really depended on my environment…..who was I with at the time. The ONLY really ‘bad’ trip I had was on a 4-way hit of ‘Window Pane’…..in the summer of ’74. BUT………it took place on the night that I had just seen ‘The Exorcist’ for the first time. So I was already in kind of a strange mindset. I was also in the Marine Corps at the time. A buddy & I had travelled from Camp Pendleton ….up to L.A. that weekend. He told me he knew a couple of girls there, and that’s where we headed. It was a very run down neighborhood, and MANY strangers in the place. Everyone else eventually ‘crashed’……and I was still sitting there wide awake at sunrise. No one would wake up, and I thought everyone was dead. I heard this horrible buzzing sound……..and it took me the longest time to discover the source…..the aquarium filter, which I think I unplugged. ( Sorry little fishies…) At one point I wanted to get out & when I opened the front door, there was a dog standing on the front porch…..barking at me. So I closed the door & stayed inside. Took forever to try & figure out HOW to turn the TV on……so I could have something familiar to focus on. Was super paranoid when my buddy & I called a cab to take us back to the Greyhound Bus station. I think I gave the driver a $100 bill. I was still ‘trippin’ in the bus station……..terrified that we’d be approached by MPs that were walking around. The bus returned us to Oceanside, and I hung out at one of the tables outside of some burger joint……..afraid to head back to base. I was feeling the effects for at least 3 days. It must’ve been over a 3 day holiday weekend. Maybe the 4th of July. Funny how I can remember all that stuff. It was pretty ‘intense’.

The human body already HAS all the neurotransmitters it needs! It produces ALL the chemicals necessary to “dream!” To submit the body and mind to something that will “alter” its normal functions is only going to do harm…NOT GOOD! “IF” these other substances were ever beneficial, don’t you “think” that someone, a long time ago, would have already emerged upon this Earth “changed” everything to the way “they” wanted it?

Think chemotherapy. Harms the body, but saves a life. Not so hard to think of cases of drugs that do temporary or even long term damage but saves a person either mentally or physically. But one would have to think. Maybe you take some ‘shrooms.

I think the topic is leading more towards medicinal use as opposed to recreational. Even so I believe the ones who conducted the research more than someone who has already made up their closed mind. Everyone is different, I know people that can take large amounts and still be responsible with their actions. No one is saying take hallucinogens then go drive around or take care of children. Plenty of people do that with already legal and lethal alcohol.

“anger…hostility” from a heartfelt apology? “IF” you could in any way, “feel” me, anger & hostility would not be on the list. “Sadness, pity, sorrow, …” is what you would be “feeling” along with “astonishment” as to how you and others interpret simple comments. IF “psychedelics” improved the mind in any fashion, shape, or form, none of you would feel the need to defend the obvious impairment it has taken on your interpretation of the world and others around you.

“YES!” This is a response to you, Arthur, as you have no clue about what you’re talking about, “collective consciousness”…really? Care to expound upon that? Love to hear about what you “think” you know.

Well a form of speed is used to calm down hyper kids, and a depressant called marijuana helps some relieve depression (I know I know that could be argued) or the depressant alcohol aggravates proper sleep. What I am getting at is that maybe the outcome is not so obvious with mentally ill. I am neutral until there is scientific evidence.

The question is, if the user can handle the trip and sees it as an opportunity to learn. These kind of experiences are wonderful mirrors to show both the very good sides and also the very bad sides. It allows us to explore ourself and the world we´r living, with a total fresh and new point of view.

But on the other side, I know a lot of people hanging too deeply in these kind of drugs. it seems that they lost control over the drug. They consume at every opportunity that shows up. They got lost somewhere in all these experiences.

Speaking from personal experience I can only completely agree. There is however a chance of increasing problems if not used properly. But then again, if traffic lights wouldn’t be calibrated right (and thus not used right) they would also be extremely deadly.

I like the stoplite compareson iv done lots of acid and shrooms and im fine but it does depend on ur feelings and thoughts how it affects each individual but could be done under supervision of doctor based on what the person is being treated for and what type of personality they have im for exploring the medicinal use of these psychodellics theyve been used for thousands of years for these purposes why not broaden the use and spread the word of true mental healing

No John,he is trying to tell us that everything we believe or we have been taught is not true.You see there is this thing-“Everyone Lies”.The question is do you trust the government enough to tell you everything truthfully or act like a businessman and do what he has to to prosper.

I think this is a load of rubbish, and its like your promoting psychedelics! How can something that makes you see pink spiders,the grudge coming down your stairs ,things that are going to kill you and all sorts of horrible things improve your mental health?

Never in my life have I actually seen something from taking psychedelics, that’s a myth, unless you’re in complete darkness and are actually fearing something you have wonderful experiences on these drugs.

Leah, what if the psilocybin actually acts as a natural anti depressant? What if you actually see rainbows and fairies on it and it teaches you to believe in magic and miracles? Trust Big Pharma or Mother Nature and God’s green earth? What if it actually permanently changes your disposition and attitude to something more spiritually connected and shamanistic? I’m sure it will be the bees knees when trademarked..

Sigh,… do you get your drug facts from movies? psychedelics DO NOT CAUSE visuals like that, more like patters, brighter colours things expanding and waving, things slow down etc. Not crazy stuff like that unless you are consuming DALERIANTS which is a whole different world of drugs

Small amounts of some poisons can actually be beneficial, as the age old saying goes “the dose makes the poison”, although some fruits contain arsenic it does not detract from their beneficial properties.

The pharmaceutical industry would be happy to agree with you John!
More accurately. it is a tryptamine, which is a neurotoxin. Psilocybin is rapidly metabolized to psilocin when ingested, which then acts on serotonin receptors in the brain.
Most of the “medications” offered today are little more than toxic chemicals. Poisons, if you will. The list of side effects should be more than enough to convince anyone of this. True medicine does not have side effects. Nor does it “treat” the illness or disease. It provides the body with a pathway to heal itself.
Since the early ’90s, there has been a renewal of scientific research into medical and psychological therapeutic benefits of psilocybin for the treatment of conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, migraine headaches, and anxiety related to terminal cancer.
I am currently involved with many people treating different types of medical disorders, including several forms of cancer, and I would not advise mushrooms for people treating cancer. Most cancer patients have extremely high toxicity levels, that are physiological reactions to chemotherapy. It is usually reactions to these radioactive poisons that destroys the body’s immune system.
CBD, and other forms of cannabinoids, such as THC, have been shown to have massive therapeutic benefits for treatment and prevention of Metastasis.. It also provides a boost for the endocannabinoidal system in our bodies.

Hello Kev,, Do you have any knowledge about a disorder named HPPD?
If you are indeed involved with many people treating different types of medical disorders then you might be able to help we with some information about this disorder or the name of someone doing research in HPPD
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallucinogen_persisting_perception_disorder )
I hope to hear from you!
Miam

This is fantastic that the Scandinavians are also on board! They have a high living standard for this exact reason. Open mindedness will be the cure to approaching various issues regarding mental well-being. I’ve been following the Johns Hopkins research studies into this closely. At the very least, terminally ill patients gaining acceptance of their near mortality is a tremendous benefit for science and general mental health breakthroughs. Kudos! Just as the Lord intended – Exodus 16:14

Just wondering if the research cited took into consideration that many people with mental illness are on medication which cannot be taken with other substances, and that this population would be less likely to use psychedelics. It sounds like the research shows the flaws in assuming a causual relationship between drug use and mental illness, but are the figures adjusted to account for the relationship between people with mental health diagnoses choosing not to take substances because of doctors’ instruction or medication issues?

Anything can be considered a poison if the dose is high enough. We are about 65% water and it’s essential to our health. However , if you drank too much water too soon it can induce water toxicity which can kill. The lethal dose for Cannabis is so high that nobody could consume enough of it – in fact at a certain point Cannabis switches off receptors and any more ingested drug is pointless.

I can’t tell if you’re being facetious but most modern medicine is poisonous if administered incorrectly. Perhaps instead of stressing the current classification of these things, we should considered rescheduling them as medicinal (again).

I think indeed he is. It will not be the first time ‘we’ use poison for health enhancing. Currently there are medicines like Digitalin extracted from a plant called Digitalis, also poisonous, used for certain cardiac diseases.

Poisons can be used properly when administered correctly. Scopolamine is probably one of the most deadly “poisons” in the world and it has has some medicinal benefits at varied doses. There is a difference between a psychoactive and a poison John, look it up!

Well, If you need examples of other poisons that are helpful in the right concentrations, amounts and administered properly, look no farther then belladonna. Primary component of some heart and blood pressure medications. I don’t know if mushrooms would be beneficial or not, but…its interesting to wonder.

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